WWE Money in the Bank 2012: 10 Things to Know About the Heavyweight Ladder Match

At Sunday's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, we'll see two firsts: Two separate MITB matches that are reserved for the WWE's two World titles.

One match will feature four former WWE Champions competing for a future WWE Championship match while the other features of mixed of established stars and up-and-comers hoping to earn a World title match.

The World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match (as it's officially being called) is perhaps one of the most unpredictable MITB matches in WWE history.

It's got a much different look than most previous ones, and thus, many aren't sure what's going to happen when seven WWE stars try to win it.

So, before we get to that match, let's take a look at some stuff you might want to know about it that could help you make your prediction.

Here are 10 things to know about the World Heavyweight Championship Contract MITB match.

10. It's the First MITB Match to Ever Feature Both the US and IC Champions

Photo courtesy of WWE.com

Whether this is a sign of the WWE's lack of roster depth or not is certainly up for debate, but this will be the first Money in the Bank match in history to feature both the Intercontinental and United States Champions.

Although it hasn't been out of the ordinary to see the US Champ or the IC Champ in a MITB match, this is a curveball that we've never seen before.

Both the United States Champion (Santino Marella) and the Intercontinental Champion (Christian) will be competing in the same MITB match, which comes as a bit of a surprise to some.

In the long run, this could mean that, for the first time in WWE history, we'll see a current titleholder successfully cash in his briefcase to become a dual champion.

This may not seem all that likely, but with the WWE, you never really know.

9. Only One Man Has Cashed in on the World Champ the Same Night as Winning MITB

Photo courtesy of WWE.com

There have been 10 previous Money in the Bank winners, but surprisingly few have immediately cashed in to take advantage of a great opportunity.

Well, if we're going to get technical here, only one MITB winner has actually cashed in the briefcase on the same night that he won it.

That came in 2010, when Kane won SmackDown's Money in the Bank match, cashed in later that night and defeated Rey Mysterio to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

This is something for us fans to think about.

Why? Because the WHC MITB winner could depend largely upon the WWE's plans for him.

We might get a surprise winner if the plan is to build him before having him cash in down the road, but if the plan is to give the winner a big push right away, that push could start with a MITB cash-in at the MITB pay-per-view.

Of course, that would be only the second "same night cash-in" in WWE history.

5. Only 2 MITB Winners Had Previously Held a World Title

The Money in the Bank match hasn't served as a means of re-elevating guys who've previously won World titles.

In fact, it's been used the right way: To catapult new superstars to the top of the WWE.

There have been 10 MITB winners in WWE history, but only two of those winners had previously held a World title: CM Punk (2009) and Kane (2010).

As you can see, the WWE likes to use MITB to give previously unproven stars a chance to become bona fide main eventers, which is something we have to take into consideration.

Being that 80 percent of MITB winners had never held a World title before winning that match (and eventually cashing in), odds are that the likely WHC MITB match winner has never won a World title before.

Because Christian and Dolph Ziggler are the only two former World champions in this match, the odds may not be in their favor on Sunday.

4. It Features Four Stars Who Have Never Been in a Money in the Bank Match

Photo courtesy of WWE.com

This is arguably the least experienced field in Money in the Bank history (well, since the first one, obviously).

I say that because a whopping four of seven competitors have never competed in a MITB match. Ever.

Tensai, Tyson Kidd, Damien Sandow and Santino Marella will all be making their Money in the Bank debuts on Sunday.

That's not the most rookies we've ever seen in one Money in the Bank match, but when you break it down percentage-wise, having four of seven participants in a MITB match as "MITB rookies" is a pretty high number.

I can't wait to see if the rookie jitters affect the quality of the match, whether that's negatively or positively.